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January 12, 2015 | It would take the combined wealth of more than 18 American households to equal the value of a single federal lawmaker’s household, the Center for Responsive Politics’ latest analysis of congressional wealth finds. The median net worth of a member of Congress was $1,029,505 in 2013 — a 2.5 percent increase from 2012 — compared with an average American…

June 6, 2012 | Voting along party lines, a House panel on Wednesday rejected a new Federal Communications Commission rule that would shed some light on political advertisements by candidates and others -- including secretive outside groups.

October 26, 2011 | GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain released an unconventional campaign ad Monday featuring only his chief of staff Mark Block and the vocals of another aide's wife, all of whom have received generous payments from Cain's political operations.

July 13, 2011 | When it comes to the government lobbying efforts of most religious institutions, their activities are notably shrouded in darkness, even as representatives of numerous faiths routinely pressure federal lawmakers on issues ranging from health care to international relations, poverty to abortion rights.

March 31, 2011 | Freedom fighters, pornographers and self-proclaimed evil rich men are among the cast of characters appearing in federal campaign finance documents stretching back more than two decades, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

February 8, 2011 | Many bona fide news organizations have conflict-of-interest rules that prohibit employees from making financial contributions to politicians. But such rules in the world of cable news have become murkier -- even for programs who market "fake news," as the Daily Show has defined its product. And fake or not, the Daily Show, which routinely interviews powerful politicians, is viewed by many Americans as a legitimate news source.

October 21, 2009 | MCCAIN-FEINGOLD? ZZZZZZZ. We've been waiting for weeks for an outcome to Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which could very well change the nature of federal campaign finance laws as we know them. Nothing yet. But it's given us time to ponder why federal legislation always has such b-o-r-i-n-g names. (Shays-Meehan? Sounds like some sort of chronic thyroid condition.) Congress, let's get creative.

October 16, 2009 | An initial Center for Responsive Politics analysis has found that sitting members of the U.S. House of Representatives raised $48.2 million from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2009, based on the 336 reports we have in. The mean amount these lawmakers raised was $143,640, and the median amount was $126,680.

June 25, 2009 | Here's a cool tool that brings together data from various parts of OpenSecrets.org to show how much money each current lawmaker has raised from various health-related industries and the health sector overall since 1989 (including President Obama's haul).

June 2, 2009 | Under the shadow of a federal investigation, Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) announced today that he is temporarily giving up his post as chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, leaving the spot to Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.).

February 12, 2009 | The close ties between Rep. John Murtha and a Washington lobbying firm raided by the FBI have put the powerful Pennsylvania Democrat under greater scrutiny. The lobbyists at PMA Group have been Murtha's fifth most generous campaign donor over time, but he is just one of 284 members of the 111th Congress who have collected money from the firm, which specializes in securing federal earmarks for its clients. In total, PMA Group's employees and its political action committee have given current members of Congress $3.4 million since 1989.

January 5, 2009 | Putting aside whatever involvement New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had in an alleged "pay-to-play" scheme in his home state, his future as U.S. commerce secretary is now a casualty of an ongoing federal investigation into a company that has funded the former presidential candidate's state-level political committees. While no other incoming federal lawmaker or Cabinet member is said to be under investigation, others have certainly seen their campaign efforts propped up by the embattled company. Capital Eye lists those recipients here.

September 11, 2008 | When the federal government announced two months ago that it would be seizing mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, CRP looked at how much money members of Congress had collected since 1989 from the companies. On Sunday the government proceeded with the takeover and we've returned to our data to bring you the updates, this time providing a list of all 354 lawmakers who have gotten money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (in July we posted the top 25).

June 2, 2008 | The separation of church and state has never been as obvious as it has this election cycle. That is to say, the presidential candidates are strategically separating church and state only when they feel it's a politically smart move for them-and that's been often in the last few months.

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